


Melting Snow

by DimensionSlip



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Canon Divergence, Gen, One Shot Collection for this AU whenever inspiration strikes, What-If: Saphir accepts Jade's decision to ban fomicry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-08-27 09:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8395993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DimensionSlip/pseuds/DimensionSlip
Summary: For want of a nail, let's go back in time and visit a certain world.A world where Van Grants's ambitious scheme still existed.A world where Luke fon Fabre was still replicated.But one where a certain person never left Jade Curtiss's side.





	1. Chapter 1

The smoke rising from the Imperial Research Institute on Fontech and Fonic Artes could be seen throughout Grand Chokmah, and such was the subject of hushed whispers as a certain Saphir Ortion Gneiss ran through the marketplace as fast as his legs could carry him.  
  
"Ah, that must be because of the decree."  
  
"Though to burn down a whole laboratory... what a waste."  
  
"To think that's where all our taxes went."  
  
"A decade of nothing, huh. What were those scientists doing?"  
  
To which Saphir gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to lash out with a response at the tip of his tongue. There were more important matters to take care of, and the musings of ignorant plebeians could wait.  
  
Saphir, of course, heard about it. The ban on fomicry and disposal of all research related to it. But he didn't think they were _actually_ serious about doing it.  
  
Especially with Jade around. Jade, of all people, would definitely make sure it wouldn't happen. It was their life's work after all, and they were still far from making good on their childhood promise.  
  
Once he got there, Jade would definitely be working on putting out the fire, maybe even reprimand their staff for letting it go out of hand.  
  
_Right?_  
  
...So why was he running so hard as if his life depended on it?

* * *

  
And so, as he reached the entrance of the all-too-familiar laboratory, he found himself unsure for the first time in a long while.  
  
...Especially when he saw the back of a certain someone, whose owner seemed to be way too calm for someone whose years of hard work was going up in smoke.  
  
Jade Curtiss was just watching the flames dance as they slowly left destruction in their wake, and Saphir even had the sinking feeling that some of the spectacle was even contributed by Jade then.  
  
"J-Jade..."  
  
Jade did not even turn to acknowledge him, choosing to continue his vigil over the continued destruction happening around them, expression unreadable.  
  
"Why aren't you doing anything? We must put out the fire immediately!"  
  
Frantic, Saphir began circling the area, searching for anything that could be used to extinguish the flames that were.  
  
"Saphir."  
  
The strange quality about Jade's voice then caused Saphir to freeze in his tracks, a cold realization washing over him.  
  
It was all too similar to _that_ time.  
  
The time when the Professor disappeared.  
  
_No._  
  
He vehemently shoved that thought away from his mind. He won't let it happen again. _Ever._  
  
"Jade, you can use your water artes to put out the fire, right?"  
  
Saphir asked as he attempted a grin, which earned no reaction from Jade.  
  
"Are you tired, perhaps?"  
  
He tried to keep his voice level, though his rising pitch betrayed his slowly fraying calm.  
  
"Do you need some gels? I can go--"  
  
"--Saphir." Jade's voice was light, if a bit faint as he cut off Saphir mid-sentence. "Don't play dumb."  
  
"I know people have been saying things, but you're not going along with them, right?!"  
  
Saphir no longer made an attempt to hide his desperation in his tone, begging evident in his eyes.  
  
"It's our life's work! It's the sole reason we joined the military at all!"  
  
"Indeed."  
  
Jade replied, much to his surprise, though Saphir was too agitated to get any hope out of it.  
  
"But even then, you’re still going to stop the research!?"  
  
"Yes. I’m going to ban fomicry on the grounds that it’s an unethical practice."  
  
This time around, there was an eerie calm about Jade, as if he was just deciding on what to get for breakfast and not axing their life's research.  
  
"Even if we were to continue working on it, we won’t be able to bring Professor Nebilim back to life. I should have known this, but I couldn’t accept it until now. I ended up spending my time doing something useless."

* * *

  
In this world, Saphir still fought back against Jade for the first time in his life, grabbing Jade by his collar and slamming him against the wall upon learning of the latter's enlightened stance on the subject of fomicry.  
  
He still continued to shout denials at Jade, at the same time, desperately asked for the latter to stop.  
  
"–I decided to ban fomicry by my own will."  
  
This same Saphir also felt the strength drain away from both his hands as he realized nothing he would say would change Jade's mind on the matter, the other's words finally sinking in, calm and true.  
  
Everything was crumbling. Every single little thing.  
  
_And yet..._  
  
"I... suppose you are right."  
  
In an odd twist of fate, he reluctantly let go of Jade's collar, studying the floor listlessly. He didn't want it to end, but Jade had a point, and if it was what he wanted, then Saphir, as his best friend, should respect and support that decision.  
  
_Still..._  
  
"What were all those years for, Jade?"  
  
Lips quivering, he could not help but ask, raising his gaze to meet Jade's blank expression.  
  
"What are we going to do now?"  
  
He asked as he gripped the hem of Jade's coat, hands shaking, unable to take any more of Jade's stoic indifference.  
  
"What about our promise?"  
  
_Anything. Anything just to get another reaction out of the other._  
  
"What about the Professor?"  
  
He mentally begged the other to hit him, tell him not to say a word about their secret.  
  
Because despite his verbal agreement, he still wanted the old Jade back.

_The Jade who wouldn't hesitate to say what was in his mind._

_The Jade who got angry at him whenever he did stupid things._

_And most of all, the Jade who would smile rarely, but genuinely._  
  
"What about those old days?"  
  
Hot tears spilled as he tightened his grip on Jade's coat, sinking into the floor as his knees slowly gave out on him.  
  
_They were all slipping out of his fingers ever so slowly, never to return._  
  
So it was to his surprise when he felt the person in front of him kneel. Maybe Jade got dragged down with him, or maybe he did it out of his own volition, but Saphir couldn't really bring himself to care.  
  
After all, it was the only invitation he needed to start sobbing uncontrollably into Jade's lap, years of frustration flowing its worth in tears.  
  
And Jade let him. Jade let him, and that's what mattered more.  
  
Even when the other answered his questions with an almost inaudible--  
  
"...I don't know."

* * *

  
This is a world where Dist the Reaper won't be born.  
  
Just Saphir Ortion Gneiss, a lonely and lost child trying to find his way again after following a cherished one down the wrong path for the longest time.


	2. Chapter 2

_Anger._  
  
It burned and clawed at his chest, and burst in literal flames as the first, true and raw emotion Jade Curtiss felt after more than a decade of suppressing his own feelings.  
  
As all-too familiar fon machines burned down in his rage, he glared into the distance, eyes burning with the long-lost fire of emotion as he marched towards the exit of this Yulia-forsaken laboratory. As he carefully stepped over some fallen debris, he reaffirmed his hold on the body of a certain Saphir Ortion Gneiss, which he was currently carrying on his back. All the while, a certain thought ran through his mind.  
  
Whoever did this was going to pay. _Dearly._  
  
But first, there's a need to rewind a little, and look at how things arrived to this point in time.

* * *

And so, life went on for the two.  
  
Jade, having acolades in the field, pursued his military career to greater heights than anyone ever imagined. Six years later, he's a Colonel in the military, even being considered for promotion to Brigadier General.  
  
Saphir, on the other hand, settled for a less physical career involving fontech research for the Malkuth military. Six years later, he has his own laboratory in Grand Chokmah and is the head of it, rivaling Kimlasca's Sheridan in the technology master race.  
  
It was this same laboratory where he was discovered missing from, causing an uproar among his assistants.  
  
The first suspects, were of course Kimlascans, but after a thorough, albeit rough, investigation, even the intelligence division had to concede that they were telling the truth for once in this regard.  
  
Daath also denied any involvement in the incident, as did Chesedonia. Similar investigations also corroborated these, thus ruling out those possibilities as well.  
  
Which left not a political motivation, but one of a personal variety.  
  
Either way, Jade could only think of one thing Saphir had done that might have led to all this, and all the same, it boiled down to being the former's fault.  
  
And so in typical Jade fashion, he conducted his own private investigation while maintaining a calm indifference to his old research partner's absence. Let Emperor Peony do the worrying, or so Jade reasoned.

* * *

It was about three months later when Jade finally found an important clue to the whereabouts of the missing Saphir, and once he confirmed the information, he immediately set the Tartarus's next destination to the outskirts of Sheridan.  
  
In another world, this place would have been known as "Ortion Cavern", but in this world of nails and found shoes, it was but another unnamed cavern off the coast of Sheridan.  
  
The cold prickled at his skin as he worked his way through the fauna that made their home in the cave, though the feeling may not be entirely simply due to the temperature in the cavern. As it stood, it was with great dread that he noted the abundance of fonimin in the area, as well as some all too familiar machinery lining the walls of the cavern.  
  
_A telltale reminder of the past he wanted to run away from._  
  
It was with such emotions that he found Saphir slumped over a desk, which was filled with various paperwork and bits and pieces of various machinery. A quick look at the documents more or less confirm Jade's suspicions, much to his disgust, with the surrounding machinery not helping matters at all.  
  
"Saphir, we're going."  
  
No response. It took a few shakes and rounds of calling out Saphir's name before the other came to.  
  
"J-Jade!" Saphir's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the other's face. "It really is you! I..." His shock gave way to a sheepish smile. "...thought I was dreaming and didn't want to wake up..."  
  
To which Jade suppressed a sigh, but bore with grace. Much to his relief, Saphir thankfully did not look that horrid for someone who has been captive for a while, though he did look a little underfed--or as underfed a scientist who tended to skip meals anyways looked.  
  
"Let's go. We don't have time to waste."  
  
Saphir's euphoria vanished quickly as it came, a decidedly uncomfortable look overcoming his features then.  
  
"I can't."  
  
This time, Jade threw him an irritated glance, grabbing the other by the wrist and hoisting him up, if a bit forcefully, then dragging him away from the table and towards the direction of the exit.  
  
...Only for the other to disgracefully tumble forward, face first onto the cavern floor.  
  
"Sorry, Jade." Despite the impact, Saphir managed to look up at Jade then, an apologetic look on his face.  
  
A strange feeling welled up in Jade's chest then, with his blood running cold upon seeing the cause of the other's distress.  
  
Saphir's right foot was twisted at an odd angle, and judging by how it looked then, it would seem that it had been that way for a while.  
  
_...And maybe permanently, if they don't get a healer on Saphir's case soon._  
  
His other fist shook A flicker of a frown crossed his previously emotionless mask, none too pleased with this discovery. Much to his surprise, he found his fist shaking involuntarily as he continued to hold Saphir's wrist with his other hand.  
  
"...Who did this to you?"  
  
Jade's tone was flat, but little did he know that a dangerous flash could be seen in his eyes then, which Saphir did notice and could not help but be cowed about.  
  
"I... don't know." Saphir's expression was listless, then all of a sudden, turned agitated as if remembering something. "But please, Jade." Fear was evident in his tone and eyes, which darted frantically from side to side. "Go on without me--they'll be back soon and I don't know what they'll do if they find you here. If they get the two of us, I'm--"  
  
"--I'm not leaving without you."  
  
At those words, Saphir was momentarily stunned into silence as a faint blush colored his cheeks, though Jade was not really seeing him as he quickly surveyed the area, making mental calculations for the spell he was about to unleash.  
  
_Oh flames of hell, cremate my enemies in a cage of fire. Infernal Prison!_  
  
The fire arte quickly spread, engulfing the machines and scattered papers in flames. 

...A little too quickly, in all honesty.  
  
"This should be a fine enough distraction, I suppose."  
  
Without waiting for Saphir's reply, Jade pulled the other into a sitting position, crouching afterwards with his back to Saphir.  
  
"Grab hold of me and don't let go."  
  
"J-Jade--"  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
Jade's eyes widened in surprise then, not because of Saphir finally obliged by putting both arms around his shoulders, but because of how foreign his voice sounded.  
  
_Was he... actually agitated?_  
  
Regardless, he grabbed hold of the other's legs and rose, sprinting his way towards the exit as he carried Saphir on his back, adrenaline and anger carrying him as he spread destruction in his wake, and the beginnings of this particular story.

* * *

"You're not taking the promotion to Brigadier General?"  
  
Upon finishing perusing a certain letter with Jade's signature on it, Peony, who was lying ever so casually on a certain couch in Jade's office, raised a skeptic brow at the office's owner, which caused the latter to pause in his task to promptly return with one of his own.  
  
"...Your Majesty, might I ask you to refrain from opening and reading my private correspondence--and perhaps go back to work?"  
  
At which, Peony merely laughed, as if Jade was telling a really good joke.  
  
"Well, it's my job to see how my constituents are doing, and you, my friend, clearly are unwell! The ambitious Jade Curtiss who rose quickly through the ranks, turning down a well-deserved promotion? Definitely unheard of! So come on and tell your supreme commanding officer what's the matter."  
  
"You know how I feel about additional responsibilities," Jade said evasively, trying to concentrate on his papers again, though without much success.  
  
"Jade, answer me." Peony's gaze turned serious, brows knitted into a frown. "Truthfully."  
  
To which Jade sighed and relented.  
  
"I have some unfinished business to take care of, and such a position does not allow me the mobility my current one comfortably provides me." Jade shrugged casually, as if he wasn't putting his military career on hold just then. "I'll be whatever you want once I've settled this matter."  
  
There was a long silence after Jade's explanation, and was only broken by Peony's sigh of reluctant acceptance at the other's decision.  
  
"Well, this is too bad. Practically everyone's was expecting you to take the vacancy, so you've left us in quite a lurch, you know?"  
  
Jade's sigh was louder this time, coupled with him removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose "Didn't you have Colonel Aslan Frings in consideration as well? He's easily one of the most hardworking and competent men I've seen around--why haven't you promoted him yet?"  
  
"Lack of ambition, but yeah, I suppose he'd do. The council won't be happy though. And speaking of promotions," Peony paused, if a bit thoughtfully, "ever thought of making Saphir your aide?"  
  
The offhand comment managed to stun Jade into silence, though other than that, his expression remained level as he found his voice again.  
  
"...Why?"  
  
"You know why."  
  
There was a challenge in Peony's tone, one which Jade met with a steely red-eyed gaze, eyes boring into Peony's blue ones without the usual glass that sat in front of the former.  
  
"I actually don't."  
  
Actually, Jade did, but he'd be damned if he admitted it out loud.

"Well, let me talk to myself then." Uncrossing his legs, Peony rose from the couch and began to pace around Jade's office. "You feel responsible for the whole incident involving Saphir's kidnapping, and since no one can seem to figure out who was responsible for it, you've decided to get to the bottom of things yourself."  
  
He put a finger to his lips thoughtfully as another thought seemed to come to mind.  
  
"All the same, you are concerned it might happen again and want to keep Saphir close. The best way to do it would be to make him your aide, which you considered, but given the situation with his foot and how happy he is with his own lab, you decided not to act on it."  
  
He stopped shortly in front of Jade's desk, grinning widely as he met Jade's gaze again.  
  
"Correct?"  
  
To which Jade averted his gaze, donning his glasses and picking up another piece of paper to read as if Peony had not interrupted him just then.  
  
Instead of dissolving, Peony's pleased smile turned amused and knowing at Jade's blatant ignoring. "Seems like I hit a nerve, huh?"  
  
Jade scoffed in response, still studying the first line of the document very intently. "...You honestly think I'll let a cripple be my aide?"  
  
"Hey, Saphir can still walk! Well, not properly, but his assistants say he has almost completed that flying chair project of his! Should make that point moot, no?"  
  
"I am not having an aide with a glorified wheelchair."  
  
"Even if he'll be happy about it?"  
  
Jade proceeded to feign a look of incredulity. "...Oh?"  
  
Peony pressed a hand to his own temple, sighing with a twinge of annoyance. "Do I have to spell it out for you?"  
  
"Let's say you do."  
  
"Saphir loves you," Peony said as if it was a matter of fact, "and he'll do anything if you asked of it. And while he enjoys his lab work, I'm sure, he's happiest when he's by your side. So come on, throw the dog a bone, maybe?"  
  
"...I'm not good at keeping pets, Your Majesty."  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you it's OK to call me 'Peony' when we're alone? But anyway, you know it's true, right?" Still, Peony insisted, pushing against metaphorical buttons that were close to popping.  
  
Another sigh escaped Jade. "I can't give what I don't have... Peony."  
  
"So you're saying you don't care about Saphir, not one bit?"  
  
Silence fell over the two as Jade turned back to his work, acting as if Peony wasn't there. The air was a still, tension palpable as Jade carefully signed a few papers.  
  
"Jade, I--"  
  
"--think it's about time you made your exit, Your Majesty."  
  
There was a smile on Jade's face, but one that did not quite reach his eyes.  
  
"But you'll con--"  
  
For a moment, Peony looked like he wanted to argue back and say some more, but he deflated, letting out a defeated sigh as he made his way to the door.  
  
Though perhaps, it's worth noting that as Peony's footsteps faded away, Jade closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, and for all it was worth, said a certain thought out loud, with no seeming question or asker in mind.  
  
"...I'll consider it."


End file.
